Known as "the
Merry Monarch," Charles II was king of Great Britain and Ireland
from 1660 to 1685. His political adaptability enabled him to guide hiscountry
through the religious unrest between Anglicans, Catholics, and dissenters
that came to signify much of his reign. Charles was forced to accept
the role of limited monarch in order to regain the throne, and was known
for religious tolerance.

Charles assumed
the throne after a period of great turmoil in British history. His father,
Charles I, was executed during a bloody Civil War, which, for a time,
placed radical puritans in control of the government. Charles II was
restored to the throne when the puritan democracy collapsed in 1660.

On May 2, 1670,
Charles signed the Hudson's Bay Company charter, naming his cousin Rupert
as "true lord and proprietor" of the Hudson Bay. The signing
came after a year of indecision on the king's part, stemming from concern
that the treaty would mar his close ties with France's Louis XIV, whose
substantial monetary assistance was crucial to the British sovereign's
role in Parliament.

The financial benefits
of signing the HBC charter proved greater for England and for Charles
than the political setbacks. The document allowed private investors
to achieve profits while risking little. Prince Rupert's loyalty to
the crown also helped to sway Charles  the prince had never before
asked for a royal favor, so Charles felt an obligation to grant one.

The HBC charter,
while not an unusual document for the king to sign, stood apart from
the rest because of the sheer scope of land involved. The charter set
the geographical boundaries of the HBC at 1.5 million square miles,
almost 40 percent of present-day Canada. While Charles added a clause
that the Company may not attack the holdings of another Christian monarch,
he made no mention of the well-established presence of the indigenous
peoples. By signing a charter with such ample room for interpretation,
the king, in essence, handed over the reins of an expansive hunting
ground for the HBC to dispose of as they saw fit.